The Utah Jazz faithful should not expect any rookies to compete for the yearly award

The Utah Jazz had a Rookie of the Year Contender last year, but don’t expect a repeat performance.

For the first time since all three young men were drafted in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, Brice Sensabaugh, Keyonte George, and Taylor Hendricks shared the court. The trio were used sparingly against the New Zealand Breakers on Monday, and each player had a modest outing with the minimal minutes given.

And some fans are wondering why the Utah Jazz aren’t playing them more. After all, Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji got huge minutes in the 2022-2023 season, and many fans expected the same for the trio of rookies; or more specifically, George and Hendricks. The duo are seen by many in the fandom to be All-Stars, and could possibly be the next point guard/power forward combo that leads the Jazz to success.

After all, Karl Malone and John Stockton did it for 20 years, and then Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer recreated that magic for a short time in the mid-2000s. Will the likes of Hendricks and George be able to recreate that success?

It’s a huge task but it’s possible. But it won’t be this season.

George is inconsistent and while he has all the athletic talent in the world needed to break out and be a big-time threat, as we’ve seen time and time again, if you can’t shoot, you can’t succeed in the NBA. At least, not as an All-Star caliber player. George has shown in Summer Camp and again in the Preseason, that while he’s super athletic, he’s not consistent. He can go from being the most unguardable player one minute to rushing a shot the next.

As for Hendricks, while he has the talent to succeed, he’s not putting it all together yet in a way that makes starting him a realistic idea. He’s not better than John Collins, or even Luka Samanic yet, and needs time to figure out how to adjust to the NBA game.

The sky is the limit for both men and the base of their games is in place, but they need experience, time, and coaching before they hit their next level. Rushing them won’t help the team, only hinders it.

And that’s why the Jazz aren’t likely to see either guy in the Rookie of the Year chase like Kessler was last season. The need isn’t there, there’s talent ahead of both George and Hendricks, something that wasn’t the case for Kessler last season or even Agbaji.

Give Hendricks and Taylor time, they’ve got the talent to be great, but it can’t be rushed.